Two Sides
by Adalind
Summary: Lester and Ranger on a stake out. Two cousins and two sides to every story. Written as a challenge response for PP yahoo group
1. Heads

A/N: Taking a few liberties here, so it's AU. Also going with the theory that like in AFILAW, Ranger and Lester are cousins.

Not mine & not making any money. Part one of two for TT's challenge on PP.

**Heads**

The rain beat down on the truck roof as Ranger and I sat there in silence, watching the skip's shitty apartment. I hadn't done surveillance with my cousin in months – usually I partnered with Bobby, but he was out with a stomach bug.

I hated pulling shifts with Ric, as the bastard had this amazing zone that meant he could remain silent for hours at a time. I was bored to tears, having already sung '_99 bottles of beer on the wall'_ in my head all the way through twice.

I shifted in my seat and began to count the raindrops on the windshield, giving up at one hundred and forty two, as the damn things kept moving. I glanced at Ric, wondering if he was still breathing as he was so silent. Yup, he was – he could always do the silent shit better than me. Crap, he could always do everything better than me.

I grew up in Miami, three houses down from him, and for as long as I could remember, Ricardo Manoso had been kicking my ass at everything I ever tried to do. It didn't matter what it was, he just did it better, faster or easier. Damn, he could even hotwire a car faster than I could, and I was shit hot at that. Forever stuck in his shadow, that was me.

I had three sisters, and while Ric had three too, he also had a brother, so I spent a lot of time hanging out over at his place, though I often wondered why. He never set out to be better than me, it was just something that he did by accident, but it never failed to piss me off.

There's only a year between us, and we'd started noticing girls about the same time, unfortunately for me, they only had eyes for Ric. I had three inches in height on him – and still do, but he had the bulk and the muscles. I was the gangly one – the one the really hot girls tried to set up with their not-so-pretty best mates.

Things changed when Ric left for the army. I became my own person, bulked up a little and finally got the cute chicks. For the first time in my life I was front and centre, not skulking at the back behind Ric, and damn, it felt fucking good.

I still don't know what made me follow Ric into the army, I guess looking back now, I did idolize him a little and maybe I hoped to get a reputation like his. He was doing well and we both knew that he'd make the Rangers. I'd doubted that I would. Oh, I was good, don't get me wrong – but I didn't have the cool attitude that Ric did, and I was always putting my foot in my mouth and pissing someone off.

So I'd been amazed and proud when I was put forward for the Rangers. My hard work had paid off and I was finally getting somewhere in life. Though it turned out that it was Ric that got me in, he'd recommended me to his commanding officer. Ric had thought that he'd done me a favor, when in reality he'd pretty much kicked me in the nuts. I never told him how much his actions had hurt, it just wasn't worth the hassle.

Ric was 22 when he met Rachel. She was so damn fine – she'd tried to set me up with her sister. Somethings just never seemed to changed. They had pretty serious relationship going on every time he was back in town on leave. One time while we were both back home he'd got called up unexpectedly – the Delta boys had wanted to get their hands on him. So off he'd gone, not looking back.

It was a month later that Rachel turned up on my doorstep looking for Ric. He'd not told her where he was going and she was pretty pissed. We'd sunk more than a few beers, and then ended up in bed together. We both woke up in the morning and realized it had been a stupid thing to do, and to this day neither of us ever mentioned it again.

I was in Iraq when I got a letter from Ric. He was getting married and Rachel was pregnant. I wasn't surprised. But what did surprise me was the date the baby was born – nearly ten months after Ric left for Delta Force. Oh Juile looked like Ric alright, but then again, Ric looked like me.

A rumble of thunder shook me from my dark musings and I sighed. It was for the best. Ric had a hell of a lot more money than me and could provide for Rachel and Juile, even though the relationship hadn't lasted. What could I have offered Rachel when all she wanted Ric?

I doubted Ric knew that he was playing father to my own daughter, but what good would come from telling him? It had been the hardest decision that I had ever made.

So here I was: Lester Santos, age 32 and still living in the shadow of Ricardo Manoso. Sure, he'd given me a job, but I always thought it was out of pity more than anything else.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and let out another sigh.

Ric looked over at me. "It's always interesting doing surveillance with you," he mused, "you always seem to spend the whole time soul searching."

I snorted.

"Cousin," he continued, "secrets are a heavy burden to carry alone."

"You can't help me with this, I need to work through this by myself," I explained.

Ric raised an eyebrow. "A problem shared is a problem halved, bro."

"I just want to be good at something," I muttered finally.

"You are, Les," Ric said as he squeezed my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes. "You're a damn clever strategist, and you know it. I'll never understand why you didn't take up that job for the government, I sometimes think your talents are wasted here in Trenton with me.

I just shrugged. "Didn't want to be too far away from you and the family, man."

Gotta keep an eye on my daughter's father and make sure he's safe, I thought to myself. I should tell him the truth, but I can't bring myself to do it. Fuck, I'm a bastard.


	2. Tails

A/N: Taking a few liberties here, so it's AU. Also going with the theory that like in AFILAW, Ranger and Lester are cousins.

Not mine & not making any money. Part two of two for TT's challenge.

**Tails**

A heavy downpour drummed an intricate rhythm on the top of the SUV as Lester and I sat there in companionable quietness. It was good to get out of the confines of the office for a change, and get back onto the street with my cousin. Lester's usual partner in crime was shacked up with some blond he met in a club last night, though the tale he span to Cal in the control room told of a 24 hour stomach bug. Bobby would have some explaining to do when he decided to grace us with his presence in the office again.

I enjoyed the little amount of time I spent on surveillance with Les. His company reminded me of our misspent youth and time in the forces. He shifted in his seat again, showcasing his impatient side. My cousin had always wanted everything done yesterday, and I guess that trait was still strong in him.

We grew up together in Miami and for as long as I could remember, Les had been at my side. His dad was a bum and never home, and Les found a house full of women a little overbearing, so he'd spent almost every waking minute with me.

Always in trouble – that was Lester and I. He had an amazing gift for dreaming up ostentatious schemes that nearly always worked. He was the brains and I was the muscle, as I could turn my hand to anything. Though I doubt I would have done half the shit I got up to if it wasn't for Lester coming up with the plan in the first place. He knew every scam and hustle in the book, and then got bored of those and invented a few more just for the fun of it. The boy had been a genius and had we come from a better neighborhood, he would have gone real far.

It was hard to leave for the army, but I knew that one day our luck would run out and we'd get busted. Thankfully my gamble paid off, and a year later he followed in my footsteps. In the beginning I'd not been too keen on joining up, but I understood full well that it was the best chance we had at going straight. I'd breathed a huge sigh of relief when I heard that he'd decided to join the army. I'd pulled a few strings, and before long he'd made Rangers. I felt a lot better being able to keep an eye on him. He'd have made Rangers on his own merit, but I sped the process up a little so I could watch out for him.

We got into so many scrapes on tour in the Middle East, but Lester and his quick thinking saved our asses so many times. The boys in our unit would always be watching his back because they knew no matter what shit went down, Les would be able to figure out what was going on and how to get everyone back in one piece. My cousin was a born tactician and he made me so proud.

There was a brief period when I was 22 when I wasn't so enamored with him, mind you. I got called up for Delta Force, and came back to find my girlfriend pregnant with his baby. Rachel had confessed what had happened with Les – a drunken one night stand about a month after I had left. I was so mad with him at first – but then Rachel had explained that I had just walked away, not even telling her where I was going or at least what I was doing. Not my finest moment.

I still wanted Rachel, despite the fact that she was carrying Lester's child, and we both agreed that a marriage between her and Lester would have lasted five minutes and been disastrous. So, after a lot of soul searching, Rachel and I decided not to tell Lester that he was the father – it was for the best, and no one need know our little secret.

Juile was born a few months later, and she looked like me, then again, Lester also looked like me. It had been the right thing to do, even though the marriage hadn't lasted. Lester didn't need tying down with a wife and kid so young. It would have broken him – crushed his spirit, so I did what I had to do for the sake of all of us.

A crack of thunder echoed down the street and Lester let out a sigh. He seemed deep in thought. He sighed again and scrubbed his hands over his face.

I looked over at him and smiled. "It's always interesting doing surveillance with you," I mused, "you always seem to spend the whole time soul searching."

Not that I'm any different, I thought wryly.

Les snorted.

"Cousin," I continued, "secrets are a heavy burden to carry alone."

"You can't help me with this, I need to work through this by myself," he explained.

I raised an eyebrow. "A problem shared is a problem halved, bro."

"I just want to be good at something," he muttered finally.

Christ, here we go again – Lester and his appalling self confidence issues.

"You are, Les," I said as I squeezed his shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. "You're a damn clever strategist, and you know it. I'll never understand why you didn't take up that job for the government. I sometimes think your talents are wasted here in Trenton with me."

Lester just shrugged. "Didn't want to be too far away from you and the family, man."

One day I'm going to ask him just what it is that keeps him trailing around after my ass. He should be working in Military Intelligence, earning a lot more than I can pay him. And maybe one day I should also tell him about his daughter, but I still can't bring myself to do that. Shit, I'm a bastard at times.


End file.
